After Casemiro joined Real Madrid, he heard a legend about Valdebebas.
In the first-team coaching office, there was a desk that no one used. Word had it that this was Gao Shen's desk.
Back in 2006, when Gao Shen was promoted from a rookie to Real Madrid's head coach, he never left the shared coaching office. He continued to work alongside the rest of the first-team coaching staff.
Because he could be fired at any moment.
But even under that pressure, he left Real Madrid with his head held high, relying on the legendary double title win. That desk, once his, had remained untouched ever since.
Coaches came and went at Real Madrid, but none had ever claimed that desk.
Until now. Gao Shen had returned.
The desk was still there, and Gao Shen was once again working from the head coach's office.
It had become a symbol, one that everyone passing by couldn't help but glance at.
Just like Casemiro at this moment.
After glancing at the desk, he continued walking toward the head coach's office.
Knock knock knock.
Casemiro knocked on the closed door and heard a deep voice from inside.
"Come in."
Casemiro opened the door to see Gao Shen working on his computer. He smiled and raised his right hand. "Boss, you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, come in and have a seat."
Gao Shen gestured to the sofa. He continued typing for two or three minutes, clearly finishing up some paperwork—part of a Real Madrid manager's daily responsibilities.
Soon after, Gao Shen got up and poured Casemiro a glass of water.
"Don't be nervous. I just wanted to talk to you," Gao Shen smiled and sat beside him.
"No, I'm not nervous," Casemiro replied with a smile.
But the 20-year-old clearly was nervous, even if he tried to act otherwise.
Gao Shen didn't blame him. With his current status and accomplishments, very few players could stay completely relaxed around him.
The last time he spoke with Casemiro had been about a week ago.
At that time, Casemiro had just returned from the Brazil national team.
Yes, he had joined the senior national team last year.
The reason was simple. He performed exceptionally well at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, helping Brazil win the title and earning rave reviews. With his solid contributions on both ends of the pitch, he was called up early to the senior team.
That tournament had also attracted the attention of many clubs, including Real Madrid and Juventus.
After Gao Shen took over, he instructed the club's technical department to sign Casemiro.
Gao Shen communicated with his players about once a week. It helped him keep track of changes in their physical, psychological, and emotional state.
At a club like Real Madrid, to be honest, every player's technical level was high, even the younger ones like Casemiro. The real difference came down to experience and mentality.
The key was helping them unleash their potential.
During their last chat, Casemiro mentioned that he wanted to bring his mother to Madrid, but the visa process hadn't been completed.
After learning of this, Gao Shen asked Real Madrid's administrative team to assist and sort it out. He used this topic as a conversation starter today, and Casemiro informed him that the issue had been resolved and his mother's visa had been approved.
The Brazilian midfielder was very grateful that Gao Shen had stepped in.
He knew his own position. Without someone powerful like Gao Shen backing him, the admin staff probably wouldn't have helped with such a minor personal issue.
Almost every Brazilian player in Europe faced similar problems. Casemiro had heard the stories from teammates and friends. But for him, the process had gone unusually smoothly.
Gao Shen also congratulated Casemiro on reuniting with his mother soon. He had heard that Casemiro's father abandoned the family after a dispute, leaving Casemiro and his mother to depend on each other for survival.
Sometimes, Gao Shen truly believed that one reason football thrived in Europe and South America, but struggled to develop in China, was the difference in class mobility and wealth inequality.
He had read Simon Kuper's Soccernomics, which noted that most British footballers came from lower-middle-class families and had minimal education. This was even more pronounced in South America and Africa. A player like Kaká, whose father was an engineer, came from an unusually privileged background.
Of course, players like Piqué or Marcos Alonso were rare exceptions.
Even Zidane's children hadn't made it big in football.
The reason was simple. For many children from modest families, football was their only way out. It was their shot at escaping hardship and achieving social mobility.
It was like taking a university entrance exam.
Becoming a professional footballer was like getting into a regular university. Signing with a European club was like entering a top-tier school. Playing in a mainstream European league meant you made it into a 211 university. Making it to the top five leagues was equivalent to getting into a 985. If you landed at a superclub, that was like Tsinghua or Peking University.
If we understood European and South American footballers through this logic, their choices made perfect sense. Because for many of them, there was no other path.
Casemiro's story was no different.
…
"You've probably seen the chairman's comments recently, right?"
After some small talk, Gao Shen changed the subject.
Real Madrid is a socios-owned club and holds a general assembly every October. Before that, there are two preparatory meetings.
At the most recent one, Florentino was asked several sensitive questions by reporters.
It was a bit frustrating, honestly. Since Gao Shen returned, media leaks from Valdebebas had become rare due to his strict controls.
So the reporters turned their focus to the club management.
The questions weren't just about Gao Shen. They also touched on Ronaldo and youth development.
For instance, one reporter asked whether Gao Shen requiring Ronaldo to track back on defense aligned with Florentino's views.
The club president didn't answer directly but expressed full support for Gao Shen.
"Real Madrid needs talented players, but talent must also work hard. If you don't run, the fans will boo you."
"Gao Shen understands Real Madrid. He knows how to help the players perform at their best."
However, one question caused some stir.
A reporter asked whether, given the number of young players in the current squad and the reduced spending in the transfer market, Real Madrid had changed its business model.
It was a significant question. Florentino's answer was a clear "No."
He stated that Real Madrid's long-standing philosophy is to recruit the best players in the world. That would never change.
"The whole world loves young players, but they all share one problem. They lack experience."
"I've said it before, if Zidane had joined Real Madrid at 18, he wouldn't have gotten any playing time."
"No one ever said that youth academy players must play for the best club in the world. That's a mistake."
Florentino also elaborated on the club's youth development strategy. He noted that 39 Real Madrid academy players are currently playing in La Liga, and another 39 are playing for other European clubs. This, he said, proves the success of Real Madrid's youth system.
He added that if these players couldn't get playing time at Real Madrid, they should go to clubs that could provide it. The club would carefully choose the right teams to ensure they got game time.
"If they still can't get minutes at those clubs, and go a year or two without playing, it's terrible for them and a loss for us. It would be nearly impossible to bring them back into the first team."
This, then, is Real Madrid's current youth policy.
Regarding the first team, Florentino said the club was continuing to look for players who could strengthen the squad.
This was understood by many in the media as a potential disagreement between Florentino and Gao Shen.
The implication being that Gao Shen wanted to use more academy players, while Florentino did not support it.
Gao Shen himself wasn't even aware of this supposed "disagreement."
But he raised the issue with Casemiro because the Brazilian was 20 years old—exactly the kind of player Florentino mentioned as needing to go on loan to gain experience.
The media had blown this up, and the rumored "conflict" between the president and the head coach was now all over the news. Casemiro had definitely heard about it.
But he wasn't quite sure what Gao Shen meant.
"I'll be honest with you, Casemiro. You're a player I personally signed. I still hope you can stay at Real Madrid. But you have to prove yourself with convincing performances. Do you understand what I mean?"
Casemiro nodded firmly. "I understand, Boss. I'll work even harder."
"Your attitude in training has been excellent. The coaching staff and I are very pleased. We all want to help you keep improving. In the upcoming game against Deportivo La Coruña, I want to see your best performance."
The last time Casemiro played was away to Sevilla. That game ended 0-0. Gao Shen was criticized heavily afterward and came under a lot of pressure. Now with Florentino's comments, many young players in the squad were worried about losing their chances.
Casemiro was one of them.
But now, Gao Shen had told him he would start again.
The Brazilian was surprised and thrilled.
"You did well in the away game against Sevilla, but that's not enough. You know, Real Madrid always wants the best. Even if you're not there yet, you have to show performances that prove you can become the best. Understand?"
Casemiro could feel the coach's trust and commitment to developing him. The young Brazilian instantly shot to his feet.
"I promise you, Boss, I'll give everything this time. I won't let you down!"
(To be continued.)